BHUBANESWAR: With the morale of the State BJP workers being fairly low after the party’s debacle in the Bijepur by-election, its national president Amit Shah will be visiting the State early next month to galvanise the party cadres. Announcing the proposed visit of Shah, State BJP president Basant Panda said the exact dates and places of the former’s visit will be finalised within a couple of days. As per the current reports, Shah will confine his visits to western Odisha districts.
“The party has requested him to visit the State. We are planning to organise public meeting in some places like Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Sundargarh, Balangir and Sonepur. A clear picture on his visit will emerge after a day or two,” Panda said.Shah’s proposed visit to Odisha assumes significance particularly after the defeat of the party in Bijepur by-election in which BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi lost to ruling BJD’s Rita Sahu by a margin of over 41,000 votes.
Considered to be a precursor to next Assembly election which will be held simultaneously with the general election in 2019, the Bijepur by-election defeat has demoralised the saffron party which has been given an impossible target to win more than 120 seats in a House of 147. Launching the Mission 120+ target in September last year, Shah had given a clarion call to the party to oust the Naveen Patnaik Government which is in power for four times in a row.
Emboldened by the spectacular victory, the ruling BJD, on the other hand, has respositioned the party organisation to take on the BJP which showed sign of resurgence after putting an impressive show in the last year’s panchayat polls. The Chief Minister has taken an aggressive posture to reach out to the people by announcing a series of welfare schemes and developmental programmes. The launching of Special Development Council for 9 tribal districts is considered to be a strategic move to win back the confidence of the tribals.